May 24, 2013

Aaron Cunningham clears waivers, sent to Columbus

July 28, 2012 by 2 Comments

The Tribe designated outfielder Aaron Cunningham for assignment on Wednesday to make room for the recently acquired Brent Lillibridge. Major League teams had three business days to claim Cunningham off of waivers. None did. WTAM’s Nick Comino tweets:

Cunningham is batting .175 with 1 HR and 7 RBI in 72 games (97 ABs) with the Tribe this season. It was Cunningham’s sacrifice squeeze on Tuesday night that gave the Indians the go-ahead run in their 3-2 victory over the Tigers.

[Related: WFNY Wednesday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 7/25]

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MLB News: Indians Designate Aaron Cunningham for Assignment

July 25, 2012 by 13 Comments

Less than 24 hours after bunting in the game-winning RBI, Aaron Cunningham has been designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians to make room for the recently acquired Brent Lillibridge.

Cunningham, during Tuesday’s post-game media scrum, lightly plead his case to remain with the Indians, stating that he would continue to do anything that is asked of him. Unfortunately, being out of options, he will be asked to take a few games off where he could ultimately land back in Columbus if the cards fall right.

On December 16, 2011, Cunningham was traded to the Indians for minor league pitcher Cory Burns. The 26-year-old Cunningham, largely used as a late-game defensive replacement for either Shelley Duncan or Johnny Damon, hit .175 through 72 games (95 at-bats), hitting one home run, driving in seven runs and striking out 25 times.

[Related: WFNY Wednesday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 7/25]

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Indians 3, Tigers 2: Ubaldo and the Squeeze Push Tribe To Victory

July 25, 2012 by 16 Comments

The Indians entered this monster three-game series with the the Detroit Tigers at a bit of a crossroads. They started the night at 48-48, four games out of first place with two teams in front of them. The offense has been sputtering, unable to score more than three runs in a game in close to a week. Both of their chief rivals have added pieces for the stretch run, while the Indians still haven’t decided whether to be buyers, sellers, or to stand pat. This series could dictate which direction they will go before the July 31st trade deadline.

For the Indians to win this series, it is going to have to be because they outpitch the Tigers. We certainly can’t get ourselves into an offensive shootout with the Motor City Kitties. As the old saying goes, you can’t bring a knife to a gun fight.

It was Ubaldo Jimenez’s turn to play hero as he faced Detroit’s Doug Fister, who entered the game with an ERA under two in his career against the Tribe. The right-hander helped pushed the Tigers to a division title a year ago after being acquired in a late July trade. For six innings, Jimenez pitched in and out of jams as if he was meant to do so. He put the leadoff man on base in five of the first six innings, yet didn’t allow a run to score. He bobbed and weaved out of every situation he put himself in. [Read more...]

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Rays 6 Indians 0: David Price Is Good at Baseball, Aaron Cunningham Isn’t

July 20, 2012 by 9 Comments

This is going to be one of those recaps that writes itself. Really, I could sum it up in a few short sentences (but what fun would that be!):

David Price is a great young pitcher. He is left-handed. He entered the game 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA in five career starts against the Indians. The Tribe is not exactly what you would call an offensive juggernaut. Left-handed pitchers have little trouble with them. It was a getaway day. Aaron Cunningham was in the starting lineup.

You do the math.

“That’s why I felt that (Wednesday’s) win was so important for us, because you really don’t want come into the last game of the series trying to tie the series against David Price,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He overpowered us. We just didn’t have good at-bats against him.”

That was the understatement of the year. Price completely dominated the Indians “right-handed” lineup four seven innings. He allowed just two hits, walked three, and struck out seven. Any time Price put a runner on, the Wahoos couldn’t do anything with it.  [Read more...]

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Indians All-Star Break Review: DH and Outfielders

July 13, 2012 by 27 Comments

As we do each summer at WFNY when the Cleveland Indians hit the All-Star break, we take a look back at the four facets of the team on the field. There’s been been a lot to talk about with this club. Their 44-41 record is good enough for second in the American League Central, but the team has shown some serious flaws. GM Chris Antonetti continues to tell us that the Indians have not played their best baseball yet. I hope he is right. Additions will need to be made and in-house improvements will be a must if the Tribe plans on playing October baseball.

We started by looking at the starting rotation. Next was the bullpen. Yesterday we examined the infielders, and today, the last of our four part series, will delve into the DH and the outfield.

The best laid Indians outfield plans were shelved before Spring Training even started. The decision to bring back Grady Sizemore for another year was good in theory. But the Indians should have known better. While preparing for the season, Sizemore hurt his back so severely that he needed surgery. The team doctors didn’t want to put a timetable on his return, but the earliest we were told we’d see him was mid-June. At this point, the free agent market was completely barren.

The injury began a chain of events which hamstrung the team’s offensive plans. Instead of Sizemore in center, flanked by Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo, Brantley would move back to center (where he belongs by the way), and left field would become a contest between Shelley Duncan and a bunch of former Major League castoffs on Minor League deals. Nobody stepped forward to claim the job other than Duncan, who showed some power in Goodyear, but hit under .200. He was given the job by default. [Read more...]

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Indians Weekend Wrapup: Defying The Odds

July 2, 2012 by 6 Comments

I swear I will never be able to figure out this particular Indians club. They entered Baltimore on a five-game losing streak, looking as bad as they have all season. The offense couldn’t score in Amsterdam’s Red Light District with a fist full of hundreds, and the pitching had become extremely suspect. It was (and still is) danger time for our Wahoos. Scheduled to face three lefties in four days, things seemed really bleak. The White Sox were streaking. The Tigers were charging. It seemed like the Tribe was starting their fade.

A team meeting was held before Thursday night’s game where Manny Acta cleared the air, got everyone to re-focus, and told his team to just relax and get back to having fun.

Again, I know I felt extremely concerned that this series could be a make or break situation for them. I thought the Tribe had to come away with three of four at a minimum to keep pace in the AL Central and to weather the storm of this brutal portion of the schedule. After this ten-game trip, The Angels and Rays come to Cleveland. So doing well in Baltimore was a must. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Indians 6, Orioles 2

July 1, 2012 by 8 Comments

Something tells me the Tribe’s bats will sad to leave the friendly confines of Camden Yards.  Shelley Duncan hit his second home run in as many days, Aaron Cunningham hit his first homer of the season, and Justin Masterson scattered five hits over seven innings to get the win 6-2. All-Star Chris Perez pitched a scoreless 9th (not a save situation!) for the Indians, who improved to 40-38 on the season. Future statue Jim Thome went 0-4 with two strikeouts in his Baltimore debut. The Indians amassed 32 runs and 55 hits over the four game series, which they took from the Orioles three games to one.

The Indians begin a seven-game homestand on Monday against the Angels (three games vs Anaheim, four games vs Tampa Bay). Jered Weaver will start the opener for Anaheim while the Wahoos will counter with Ubaldo Jimenez. First pitch is 7:05 PM.

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cleveland 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 11 1
Baltimore 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 6 0
WP: J. Masterson (5-7)
LP: B. Matusz (5-10)
 
Scoring Summary
Top 2nd: Cleveland
- S. Duncan homered to deep left center
Top 3rd: Cleveland
- A. Cunningham homered to deep left
Top 4th: Cleveland
- S. Duncan doubled, J. Lopez scored
- C. Kotchman doubled to deep right center, S. Duncan scored
- L. Marson grounded into fielder’s choice, C. Kotchman scored, J. Donald out at second
Bot 5th: Baltimore
- R. Flaherty singled to shallow center, A. Jones scored
Bot 6th: Baltimore
- A. Jones doubled to shallow right center, J.J. Hardy scored
Top 9th: Cleveland
- J. Kipnis singled to shallow left, A. Cabrera scored
Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 .287
A. Cabrera dh 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 .300
J. Kipnis 2b 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 .275
J. Lopez 3b 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .257
    J. Hannahan 3b 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .248
S. Duncan lf 4 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 1 .220
    M. Brantley pr-cf 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .280
C. Kotchman 1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 3 .224
J. Donald ss 2 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 2 .191
L. Marson c 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 3 .286
A. Cunningham cf-lf 4 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 5 .171
 Totals 34 6 11 6 2 7 7 2 20
 Batting
2B - A Cabrera (19, M Gonzalez); J Lopez (10, B Matusz); S Duncan 2 (8, B Matusz, M Gonzalez); C Kotchman (9, B Matusz); J Donald (1, B Matusz).
HR - S Duncan (6, 2nd inning off B Matusz 0 on, 1 Out), A Cunningham (1, 3rd inning off B Matusz 0 on, 0 Out).
SF - L Marson.
RBI - J Kipnis (47), S Duncan 2 (17), C Kotchman (28), L Marson (6), A Cunningham (4).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Choo 2, S Duncan 1, L Marson 1, A Cunningham 1.
GIDP - J Kipnis, J Lopez, C Kotchman.
Team LOB - 9.
 Base Running
SB - J Kipnis (20, 2nd base off M Gonzalez/R Paulino), L Marson (3, 2nd base off B Matusz/R Paulino).
 Fielding
E - J Donald (3, field).
DP - 1 (L Marson-J Donald).
 Baltimore
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
B. Roberts 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .182
J.J. Hardy ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .236
C. Davis rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .271
A. Jones cf 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 .302
J. Thome dh 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 .000
W. Betemit 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 .274
R. Flaherty lf 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 .193
R. Paulino c 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .263
R. Andino 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .231
 Totals 33 2 6 2 0 0 11 1 8
 Batting
2B - A Jones (18, J Masterson).
RBI - A Jones (42), R Flaherty (6).
2-out RBI - A Jones, R Flaherty.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Thome 1, W Betemit 1, R Andino 1.
GIDP - R Flaherty.
Team LOB - 4.
 Base Running
SB - A Jones (11, 2nd base off J Masterson/L Marson).
 Fielding
Outfield assists - C Davis.
PB - R Paulino 2.
DP - 3 (R Paulino-J Hardy-W Betemit, J Hardy-B Roberts-W Betemit, B Roberts-J Hardy-W Betemit).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Masterson (W, 5-7) 7.0 5 2 1 0 7 0 1.29 3.92
V. Pestano (H, 19) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.00 1.97
C. Perez 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.02 2.67
 Baltimore
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
B. Matusz (L, 5-10) 4.0 7 5 4 3 2 2 1.71 5.42
M. Gonzalez 4.1 4 1 1 3 5 0 1.29 2.31
K. Gregg 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.57 4.43
WP - J Masterson.
IBB - M Brantley (by K Gregg).
Pitches-strikes - J Masterson 97-65; V Pestano 11-7; C Perez 14-11; B Matusz 79-50; M Gonzalez 82-50; K Gregg 6-1.
Ground balls-fly balls - J Masterson 11-5; V Pestano 1-0; C Perez 1-1; B Matusz 6-8; M Gonzalez 4-4; K Gregg 1-0.
Batters faced - J Masterson 26; V Pestano 3; C Perez 4; B Matusz 21; M Gonzalez 19; K Gregg 2.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Rob Drake. 1B–Joe West. 2B–Sam Holbrook. 3B–Mike Estabrook.
Weather: 95 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, left to right.

 

 

 

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Royals 8 Indians 2: Ubaldo Shaky Again, Long Balls Do Them In

April 26, 2012 by 23 Comments

The Royals have finally ended their 12-game losing streak. This was long overdue for this lineup of talented young bats. You know what else helps? Facing Ubaldo Jimenez.

When the Indians made their big deal to bring over the former All-Star right-hander last summer, I was all for it.  GM Chris Antonetti was “going for it.” The Indians are always the ones dealing their stars for prospects. Now it was the other way around. I was thrilled. That was until I saw Ubaldo pitch.

Last night was just another in a string of average at best starts from Jimenez, who continues to pitch like an inconsistent back of the rotation guy. Right off the bat, he had trouble with his command. He walked the first batter, Chris Getz, and then fell behind Alex Gordon 3-1 before Gordon popped out. Billy Butler followed with a two-run homer to put the Royals ahead. Eric Hosmer and Jeff Francouer then hit back to back singles. Yes, he got out of the inning without any more damage being done, but again Ubaldo was all over the place. [Read more...]

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Mariners 4, Indians 1: Lowe Wild, Offense Sinks Back to Earth

April 19, 2012 by 12 Comments

When the Indians took the field in search of their fifth straight win to take on the Seattle Mariners, things immediately looked different. First and foremost, The Grinder Eric Wedge sent lefty Jason Vargas out to the hill and as we know, left-handed starters, no matter how good they are, have been known to give the Wahoos problems. Acta countered by using as right-handed heavy a lineup as he could. Without Asdrubal Cabrera available and with Michael Brantley given the night off, you had a top two of Jason Donald and Jason Kipnis. Also getting the start were Jose Lopez and Aaron Cunningham. Hey, why not give it a shot. Its early, everyone could use the at-bats, and over the last four games, no matter who Acta put in the Tribe nine, they were delivering the goods. [Read more...]

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Two Days Until The Opener, and I’m Worried

April 3, 2012 by 56 Comments

We are just two days away from opening day in Cleveland. It is one of my favorite times of the year.

Everyone is in first place. Every team (well, not everyone, but most of them) thinks that this is their year to make some noise. Last season, our beloved Cleveland Indians shocked the baseball world when they ripped their way out to a 30-15 record and threatened to run away with the AL Central.

Reality then set in and the Tribe came back down to earth, finishing 80-82, but the 2011 season was certainly enjoyable for the fans in our fair city.

Now a new season is upon us and the Indians are hoping to build off of what you would have to deem was a successful 2011 campaign.

[Read more...]

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MLB Rumors: Tribe Pursuing Johnny Damon?

April 1, 2012 by 18 Comments

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune had this to say about the Indians’ search for an outfielder following an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu.

“There’s a chance the Angels will release Bobby Abreu (owed $9 million) if they can’t find a team that wants him. He has had a bad spring while moaning about a lack of at-bats. The Indians discussed a trade for him but backed off, seemingly to pursue Johnny Damon instead.”

Damon, 38, played in 150 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last season, batting .261 with 16 homers, 73 RBI, 19 steals, and a .743 OPS.

Without an acquisition, the team will open the season with Shelley Duncan as the team’s starting left fielder and Aaron Cunningham as the fourth outfielder, after he beat out Ryan Spilborghs for one of the final roster spots.

[Related: Brantley Strain Conjures up Sizemore Signing Pain]

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Indians Spring Training Battles: The Last Two Bench Spots

March 29, 2012 by 9 Comments

In a year they plan on contending, the Indians brass has to make sure they have a capable and versatile bench they can count on in a pinch. How the bench is shaped has a lot to do with the injury to Grady Sizemore and the decision to keep Jack Hannahan as the starting third baseman, sending the future at the hot corner Lonnie Chisenhall, to AAA. For the sake of this piece, we are going to give the open left field job to Shelley Duncan, who seems to have won the job by default.

There are a couple of sure things: Lou Marson will be the backup catcher and Jason Donald will be the infield utility man, also mixing in an occasional center field appearance. That leaves two spots open. Those come with an interesting decision. Do they keep two extra outfielders or a second infielder along with the fourth outfield option?

Things haven’t exactly played themselves too well for the guys battling to make the team. It has been well documented that the Tribe essentially brought in as many minor league free agents with major league experience as they could to fight it out. The names include such luminaries as Fred Lewis, Ryan Spillborghs, Felix Pie, Christian Guzman, and Jose Lopez. They also added Russ Canzler and Aaron Cunningham via trades. Unfortunately, none of these guys have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. [Read more...]

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Indians Spring Training Battles: Left Field

March 27, 2012 by 30 Comments

Remember when it was supposed to be the dream outfield of the Indians brass roaming that giant patch of green grass to open the 2012 season at Progressive Field? Yes, the Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo triumvirate was supposed to be healthy and together from day one. Of course, that never came to fruition. Even before the team played one inning of Spring Training ball, they were thrown for a complete loop when the oft-injured Sizemore came up lame and required back surgery. (Please don’t make me rehash my feelings on this signing. Please. I beg you).

With Grady unavailable until June at the absolute earliest, the Tribe was forced to go with Plan B – moving Brantley to center field and holding a mass tryout for the left field job. Of course had the Indians not gone after Sizemore in the first place or at least protected themselves knowing his injury history they wouldn’t have been in this predicament in the first place. So without a real great option, the Indians left themselves with Shelley Duncan, the newly acquired Aaron Cunningham and Russ Canzler, along with minor-league free agents Felix Pie, Ryan Spillborghs, and Fred Lewis. [Read more...]

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Brantley’s Strain Conjures Up The Sizemore Signing Pain

March 20, 2012 by 8 Comments

The elephant in the room has reared its ugly head in Wahooland once again.

During yesterday’s 4-3 Spring Training win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tribe’s slated opening day center fielder, Michael Brantley, left the game with what has been described as “mild tightness in his right hamstring.” Manager Manny Acta said taking Brantley out of the game was “a precaution.” While the injury will most likely end up being no big deal, the thought of Brantley being lost for an extended period of time leaves me frightened, but more than that, disturbed.

Why you ask? Because the guy who was supposed to play center field will already be missing at least the first two months of the season. I of course am talking about Grady Sizemore. In top of that, the AA and AAA outfield options are almost non-existant.

I have been on record since day one that bringing back Sizemore was a mistake, and the thought of a Brantley injury certainly doesn’t make me feel any different. The Indians banked on Sizemore, figuring if he flames or gets injured, they at least could slide Brantley over to center and not miss a beat. But what was the contingency plan if something happened to Brantley? [Read more...]

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Grady Injury Leaves the Tribe Behind the Eight Ball

March 1, 2012 by 27 Comments

I said it last week. I said it three months ago. I said it when the season ended. The Indians needed to cut ties with the Grady Sizemore era.  The reasons were simple: The guy has a broken down body, his skills are eroding, and the Indians cannot afford to bank on a guy that simply cannot be counted on. They had no financial reason to keep him on the roster, yet they decided to give him the one year, $5 million base plus incentives much to my chagrin.

Last Friday afternoon, the Indians let it out that Sizemore had suffered a back injury that would shut him down for the next few weeks. This injury occurred during his knee rehabilitation and before he even stepped foot on the field in Goodyear, Arizona. It was not a good sign. At the time, we were told that he wouldn’t be ready by opening day, something I found curious considering we were still six weeks before the start of the season and Sizemore’s latest ailment was called a “back strain.” Like last year, Grady would start on the DL and hopefully come back a couple of weeks into the season. [Read more...]

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Stuck In First: Considering the Indians’ Options at First Base

January 3, 2012 by 11 Comments

Without doing anything to you and me, let’s assume a few things.

First, let’s assume that the roster for the 2012 Indians is, if not set in stone, then at least not likely to undergo significant additions.  Let’s also assume that Michael Brantley will open the season in left field and spend most of his time in the outfield this season.  Further, let’s assume that the Indians stay fairly healthy in 2012.  And finally, let’s pretend that Carlos Santana is going to be behind home plate for a majority of the season.

If (one more assumption, sorry), the Indians would like to have a “regular” first baseman in 2012, that leaves us with four reasonable options.  Let’s consider each, both pros and cons.

Matt LaPorta: I wrote last year around this time that 2011 would determine LaPorta’s future with the Indians.  I believed then that, based on his 2011, the Indians would have enough information to decide whether LaPorta had any sort of future with the club or if he was destined for the infamy that accompanies so many burned out prospects. [Read more...]

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